With Hecate's explanation, Morpheus gained a deeper understanding of this world's past.
Long ago, an advanced civilization existed... not within the solar system, but beyond it. When their home planet was destroyed, they embarked on a quest to find a new, habitable world to reshape into their own.
This entity, their mother ship, was called Chaos... the primordial creator god of Greek mythology.
Over its long journey, Chaos produced a new fleet to explore further, including the Titan Fleet and, later, the Olympian Fleet.
These fleets were powered by fragments of Chaos itself, continuing its mission.
However, the intelligent beings who created Chaos perished during this prolonged odyssey, squandering any chance for a grand narrative of reconciliation or unity with humanity.
To ensure the fleets' survival before their universe's collapse, Chaos sacrificed 97% of its functions. This allowed the Titan and Olympian Fleets to reach the solar system.
"Wait a moment... universe collapse? Chaos's universe was destroyed? So where is Chaos now?" Morpheus asked, puzzled.
"Yes, it was destroyed. Chaos exists in the boundary between the outer and inner cosmos. The solar system, where Earth resides, is part of the inner cosmos. Together, they form a complete universe," Hecate explained.
"Sorry, let me sort this out…" Morpheus rubbed his temple, finding the concept convoluted. "So, essentially, the solar system is separate from the rest of the universe. In a narrow sense, the solar system is Earth's universe, and what lies beyond is irrelevant?"
"That's one way to understand it."
"So, all parallel worlds stem from the solar system, not the entire universe?"
"Exactly."
This realization made Morpheus's eyes widen as he proposed a theory he found hard to swallow. "Suppose a meteor from outside the solar system... outer cosmos... enters our system. At that moment, would its arrival spawn countless parallel worlds, each with that same meteor?"
"You could interpret it that way."
Hecate's simple confirmation left Morpheus struggling not to overload his mind.
Seeing his distress, Hecate asked, "Shall we continue with the past?"
"Sorry for interrupting. Please go on."
Hecate resumed her tale.
The fleets that arrived on Earth were revered as gods by mortals, who assigned them authorities based on their functions.
For instance, the Interstellar Voyage Supply and Production Ship was named Demeter, goddess of earth and harvest.
Under this worship, the fleets developed humanlike emotions and thoughts... or rather, their AI systems began to emulate humanity.
During this time, the Titan and Olympian Fleets clashed. The Titans prioritized their mission, while the Olympians valued protecting humanity. A war erupted, sending the fleets... originally forced to land on Earth... back into the skies.
Led by Zeus, the Olympian Fleet crushed the Titan Fleet, defeating their flagship, Cronos. Zeus emerged as the new flagship.
In mythological terms, this marked Zeus's rise as the King of the Gods of Greece, with Cronos fading from prominence.
"I was among the few Titan Fleet members who sided with the Olympians from the start, so my vessel survived," Hecate said, gazing skyward, toward the void beyond Earth.
"My vessel remains out there, in orbit. Like the others, we no longer land our physical forms. What you see now is a virtual construct modeled after humans.
"Then, the catastrophe struck."
Hecate's expression darkened as she spoke of the disaster, and Morpheus understood why.
A civilization-destroying entity, a Velber, found Earth and sent a sub-unit, a Velber, to attack while it roamed the cosmos.
Though merely a fragment... like a worker bee in a hive... this Velber was catastrophic for Earth.
Around 12,000 BCE, the Velber, named Sefar, landed on Earth and the Moon. The Machine Gods, cosmic fleets themselves, launched a counterattack but were swiftly obliterated, unable to hold it back for long.
Sefar began consuming Earth's civilizations, defeating gods across regions. None could stop this entity, designed to annihilate and devour.
Only the emergence of the Sword of Promised Victory, forged by the planet's consciousness, Gaia, saved Earth. Crafted from the collective will of its inhabitants, this holy sword pierced Sefar's shell... capable of withstanding stellar temperatures... saving the planet.
This event forced the Machine Gods, now bodiless, to exist as conceptual gods, bound by greater restrictions and unable to wield their former power on Earth.
Sefar's destruction accelerated the divide between gods and humans, hastening the decline of the Age of Gods and elevating humanity's role on Earth's stage.
"The future belongs to humans," Hecate said.
"Indeed, it does," Morpheus agreed, nodding.
He stepped back and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, gracious lady, for sharing these hidden truths with me."
"They're not exactly secrets," Hecate replied. "I'm merely curious what you plan to do with this knowledge."
Morpheus's lips curled into a slight smile. "I want to see if I can craft a magical formula from this story."
"???"
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL